In today’s world of vinyl, it seems bands have to do a lot to get the attention of their fans. No longer will a single LP entice fans of wax. Don’t get us wrong, we love a good ol’ fashioned record as much as the next guy, but what we love even more is when bands decide to make their pressings “special.” Luckily for fans of Queens of the Stone Age, the release of ‘…Like Clockwork‘ brought with it several special vinyl experiences.

On June 4, 2013, record stores across the country stocked their shelves with one of the most anticipated albums of the year. With the Queens’ sixth studio album finally dropping, fans formed lines all over the country to get their hands on the new tunes. For waxheads, the excitement built even more as they crossed their fingers that their local shop would have more than one option for ‘…Like Clockwork.’

Queens of the Stone Age released three different versions of their latest effort, much to the delight of fans. The standard release comes housed in gatefold packaging with the same red cover as the CD. The limited edition release is the same as the standard, except it is only available at independent record stores and has a blue cover. Both releases are 12″, pressed on 150-gram wax and need to be spun at 45 rpm.

For big spenders and die-hard fans, the Queens also released a deluxe limited edition. With a red cover on a deluxe gatefold, the tunes are pressed on slightly heavier vinyl at 180-grams, and like the other two releases are 45 rpm. In addition to the deluxe packaging, this edition includes a 20-page book. As with most new vinyl releases, all three editions include mp3/FLAC downloads of the entire album.

This writer was able to get his hands on the limited edition blue cover edition of ‘…Like Clockwork.” In addition to the unique cover, the records are housed in very thick sleeves with artwork printed on them. Based purely on aesthetics alone, ‘…Like Clockwork’ is easily one of the most pleasing releases of 2013. It seems like the band took everything into account: quality of the gatefold, taking advantage of valuable real estate with the sleeves, including beautiful artwork by Boneface and offering indie store goers a different cover available nowhere else. More than that, though, it’s clear that Josh Homme and his bandmates really do care about audiophiles, pressing this release at 45 rpm, giving it a clearer and and more powerful sound than if it had been 33 1/3 rpm.

Put aside the fact that this album is one of the Queens’ best, the double LP release makes it even sweeter. Holding the record in your hands, having a bigger view of the eerie cover and listening to the near-flawless audio quality, the band knocked it out of the park with this experience.

Whether you’re a long-time collector or just venturing into the world of vinyl, ‘…Like Clockwork’ needs to be in your collection. Check out the different editions and get your hands on one of them right here.

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